Food patties of various kinds, including hamburgers, molded “steaks,” fish cakes, chicken patties, pork patties, potato patties, and others, are frequently formed in high-volume automated molding machines. U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,355 discloses a meat forming apparatus of the rotatable wheel type. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,427,649; 4,212,609 and 4,957,425 disclose methods and machines for producing molded products using a rotary die with porous bottom walls. Patent Application Publication US 2005/0220932 discloses methods for molding three dimensional products from food stuffs utilizing porous mold cavities. Patent Application Publication US 2007/0224306 also provides a method for molding three dimensional products.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,355 discloses a meat forming apparatus of the rotatable wheel type including a plurality of cavities disposed about its peripheral surface. Freely moveable piston means are disposed in each of the cavities. The pistons move radially outward to reject a molded meat product.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,427,649 and 4,212,609, a rotary die roll with die cavities being defined by a configured side wall and a porous bottom wall is disclosed. During revolution of the roll, a batch of the product is forced into each cavity as the cavity is passed beneath a hopper. The bottom walls of the cavities are moved outwardly to force the configured products from the die cavities. Air is forced through the porous bottom walls to assist in the removal of product from the die cavities.
Patent Application Publication US 2005/0220932 discloses the use of a porous structure for the boundary of the mold. The use of a porous structure with intercommunicating pores allows for uniform distribution of a forcing fluid over all the interfaces between the boundary and the molded product, which assists with the uniform removal of the product.
Patent Application Publication US 2007/0224306 discloses methods and molding devices for molding three-dimensional products. The method comprises filling a mold cavity with a portion of the mass under the influence of a filling pressure exerted on the mass, closing the filling opening of the mold cavity and holding the mass in the mold cavity for a fixing period.
The present inventors have recognized that known prior art molding devices described, and others, have been disadvantageous for various reasons. The present inventors have recognized that some machine molded food patties exhibit a tendency towards excess shrinkage or distortion when the patties are subsequently cooked. The present inventors have recognized that additional problems encountered in high volume food patty molding machines include difficulty in assuring complete and consistent filling of the mold cavity. The present inventors have recognized that some of the prior art devices produce molded products lacking the capacity to form uniform molded products efficiently. The present inventors have recognized that frequently, air trapped in a mold cavity as a result of the mold cavity being filled under high pressure leads to non-uniform food products. The present inventors have recognized that entrapped air also has a tendency to disrupt the ejection process, as the force used to push the formed product out of the mold cavity is not distributed evenly against the molded product. The present inventors have recognized that filling the mold cavity under lower pressure can allow for air to leave the mold cavity, but filling the mold cavity at a lower pressure usually requires an additional step of applying a fixing pressure in order to produce a cohesive product. The present inventors have recognized that removing air in the mold cavity prior to filling the mold cavity can avoid problems with filling mold cavities using prior art apparatuses.
The present inventors have recognized the need for a more efficient rotary molding apparatus which produces molded food products with consistent uniformity. The present inventors have recognized the need for a rotary molding apparatus that provides for a more efficient and uniform filling of the mold cavities by allowing high pressure filling with a mechanism for discharging air trapped in the mold, thus bypassing the additional step of applying a fixing pressure. The present inventors have recognized the need for a rotary molding apparatus that provides for a rotary cylinder with replaceable and removable parts to allow the molding apparatus to accommodate various molding configurations, and to allow the rotary molding apparatus to be easily cleaned and maintained.
The present inventors have recognized the need for a rotary molding apparatus capable of forming contoured food products.
The present inventors have recognized the need for a rotary molding apparatus with a mechanism for regulating feed pressure.
The present inventors have recognized the need for more efficient methods for removing molded food product from the mold cavity.
The present inventors have recognized the need for a rotary molding apparatus with a tagging system for ensuring that the user utilizes the correct knock-out cups with the corresponding rotary mold.
The present inventors have recognized the need for a rotary molding apparatus with a heating system for preventing buildup around knock-out cup edges.